Mike O’Brien, chairman of the Hendricks County Republican Party, said he and other Hoosier Republicans were caught off guard by Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s resignation on Friday.

“I talked to several other party folks today and I don’t think anyone really saw this coming,” O’Brien said by phone today. “It has led to a lot of speculation about what she might do in the future. Folks like her and are eager to see what she’s going to do.”

Based on what she has said so far, O’Brien said he doesn’t expect Palin to make a run for president in 2012. But, he added, “there is a role for her in the party.”O’Brien said Palin has a unique ability to energize the GOP base — a trait she displayed in Indiana visits during and after the presidential campaign.“There’s a lot of value in that,” he explained.Palin appeals to Republicans in Indiana because she shares many of the same conservative values that are important to Hoosiers, he said.“She’s got ‘it,’ ” O’Brien said. “I’m not sure exactly what ‘it’ is, but it has to do with charisma and appeal and the ability to rally the troops.”